Editorial: Trump veers left on housing policy

The high cost of housing in America comes down to basic supply and demand. In too many areas of the country, restrictive zoning laws, byzantine permitting processes and other forms of red tape have worked to limit the quantity of housing that can get built. The result, naturally, is expensive housing.

Solving this problem isn’t complicated from a policy perspective. Slashing unjustified restrictions, abolishing counterproductive policies like rent control and streamlining permitting are...